The hero¹

While I was running this morning at 5:23, on the bottom of my mouth I was wearing my mouth retainer, which I use while exercising. Unfortunately, the retainer for the top of my mouth had been eaten by my dogs.

As usual, I was doing my hill work and speed work on 150th Street. First I was running up and down the hill. I would go down 20, 30, 40, 50 and 70 metres. Then, on the flat part, I would run from my starting point to my 500-metre mark. I always run on the side of the street with the cars. Otherwise, the lights blind me. They are so bright, so bright!

A Puerto Rican man was watching me from the top of the hill, where he was waiting for the bus. He was smoking like anything.

This time I ran to my 500-metre mark and kept walking to the 600-metre mark. I saw nobody on the street. But when I reached my 600-metre mark, suddenly I heard a lady 150 metres behind me screaming to me, “Hey Mister, save me, save me!”

So I started running as fast as possible towards the lady to save her. The robber who was bothering her got frightened and ran away.

The lady said, “Thank you, Mister, you saved me. You saved me. This black man tried to take my bags. He had a gun. (Actually it was a toy gun.) I had so much money on me because on Fridays I go to the bank. You saved me! I am so grateful to you. Please take this $20 bill.”

I said, “No, please.” I wouldn’t take her money.

Then I said; “Have you heard of Sri Chinmoy?”

She said, “No, I don’t believe I have.”

I asked, “Have you heard of Guru?”

She said, “Oh yes, of course I've heard of Guru. He is a nice guy, a very nice guy!”

So I smiled at her. But right then the bus came. At that moment she was more interested in catching the bus, so she never knew that it was that “nice guy” who had saved her. Then I ran back to my starting point, next to the bus, and the bus went slowly by me.

The bus drivers are all my friends; they all know me because I run so much on 150th Street. They like me so much!

So this is the kind of thing that happens when I go out to run. Then I went home and did my 100 push-ups for the day.

The garbage bag²

During the New York Marathon, Suradhuni took off the garbage bag she had around her and threw it on the street. I blessed her, because I was right behind her.

What determination can do³

Nemi’s boss, Sandy, completed the whole New York Marathon! Look what determination can do when God’s Grace descends! There is a Sanskrit saying that when God’s Grace descends, it can give eloquence to the dumb and enable the lame to scale mountains. Here God’s Grace descended, and through his determination he completed the marathon even though he recently had suffered a stroke.

One person will run the marathon in two hours and another will have to exercise patience and run it in 10 or 12 hours. The race goes to the swiftest; that is one theory. But in the inner world, the race goes to the one who has utmost patience. Because of our infinite patience, our hope of realising God will one day be manifested into reality.

Running blind⁴

So many times I have seen Madhuri running in the street and invited her to come into the car with us, but she doesn’t see me.

Today I was in the car near my 1200-metre mark, almost at Main Street. The car was going slowly, but Madhuri was running without her glasses, so she was doubly blind. She didn’t see me.

Saved by the notebook⁵

Today I came out of the house carrying a notebook and a tape recorder, because I had decided I would do hill work in Westchester and dictate some poems in the car on the way there. As soon as I came out of the house, I dropped the notebook — not the tape recorder, luckily. So I bent down with difficulty, because of my back pain, to pick it up.

My notebook had fallen on my left foot. When I looked down I saw that my right foot was dark but my left foot was so white. I said, “How can it be?” On my right foot I had no sock. So I had to go inside and make the right foot white. I always get blisters if I don’t use socks. So the notebook saved me. Otherwise, perhaps when I started running I would have been in another world and I would have gotten blisters.

A cheerful and soulful consciousness⁶

During the 70-mile race, I was admiring Trishul’s consciousness. Four or five times I saw him. Each time he saw me, he smiled and folded his hands. He was in a very, very cheerful, soulful consciousness. I was very, very pleased and proud of him.

The glass wall⁷

Once when I was in Madras, I was running quite fast and I didn’t see that there was a glass wall in front of me. I thought that side of the building was open. I ran right into the glass. The shock that I got! Fortunately, I was not hurt.

Malicious pleasure⁸

This morning while I was walking, some car drivers were getting malicious pleasure by bothering me. First they would go to this side and then to that side — only to draw my attention. Nine or ten boys were with me. Would the drivers have been able to escape if they had done anything? They were just showing off.

The Maracaibo race⁹

During the three-mile race in Maracaibo this morning, I was admiring the way T was running. He was just going on — like an eternal runner. He was running and running — quite cheerfully.

Long live Senani! He never runs three miles, but today he defeated quite a few.

Breathing loudly¹⁰

Today I saw Premik and I couldn’t believe how loudly he was breathing. From a hundred metres away I could hear, “Hee! Hee!” I thought something serious was taking place while he was approaching me.

When he came near me, he stopped making those noises, but then after ten metres he started again. Such a loud noise! Other runners also make noise when they run, but Premik was really something!

Once I was running a marathon and I was breathing very loudly. A man running by me said, “Did you check with your doctor?”

Two useless runners¹¹

I will never forget my 5-kilometre race today in Caracas. I am such a useless runner! Towards the end Nayana was behind me. I knew she had been struggling, but I thought she had finished and that now she just wanted to run with me. I said, “No, I do not want to run with anybody.”

But she said she had pulled a muscle and she was still running the race. She was smiling and running. I thought she was coming to sympathise with me.

Last week I walked a mile and a half during a race. Today I had to walk four or five times, but the rest of the time I ran.

I could not laugh¹²

Yesterday Prasannata was running in the race. Other times I would have laughed and laughed at her, but now my standard has gone so high, I could not laugh. How slowly she was running! But I did not laugh at her.

Chasing Kanchan¹³

During the marathon today in Puerto La Cruz, a dog chased Kanchan. Of all people, she was being chased! The dog was not even a metre behind her, barking and barking, and Kanchan was also barking at the dog. Then we went behind Kanchan and screamed, and the dog ran away.

Thinking of the dogs¹⁴

When you are running, sometimes it is like a morning walk. You only look to this side and that side and think of the dogs. If you run on the sidewalk, they will come and bite you. They are undernourished. As soon as they start barking, they never stop.

The old man with a beard¹⁵

During the marathon an old man with a beard saw me three times. Each time he recognised me, he raised his hands and clapped and screamed.

Two jokers¹⁶

One fellow was running the marathon in sandals. Vidura gave him his running shoes and they fit him.

In the last two miles Virendra ran so fast that he passed four or five runners.

He came in second.

The two brothers, Aviram and Pravaha, are such jokers. At thirteen miles I saw them stop and go into the hotel. The tall one said, “Guru, after thirteen miles we realised we were not wearing your T-shirt, so we went into the hotel.”

Then the little one said, “Guru, we got a little tired, so we stopped!”

No short cut!¹⁷

During the marathon Kailash was running behind one particular runner. Then, in the last 100 metres, Kailash went ahead of him. The man could not believe it. He said Kailash took a short cut. In this world people say anything they like.

Innocence was flowing¹⁸

When I was giving prizes after the marathon in Puerto La Cruz, how much innocence was flowing! It was a little group, and the people were so simple.

False information¹⁹

I was running by my 600-metre mark, and Baoul and Kailash were 200 metres behind me in a car. Then I saw Neeta in a car, so I smiled and waved.

When I mentioned it to Nishtha, she told me that Neeta doesn’t drive; she doesn’t even have a car. Then I began doubting myself. Am I so blind? Later I found out that Neeta does have a car, and it was Neeta I saw.

Lose ten pounds!²⁰

Yesterday I ran John’s one-mile course in Flushing Meadow Park. Kailash took my timing. I have made tremendous progress — from 13:40 to 11:40! If I can make progress, all of you can make progress.

If you lose seven to ten pounds, you will not die. But the result is something else. If you lose ten pounds, even three pounds, you simply fly when you run. You don’t need to be a bird to fly.

So, overweight people, lose ten pounds!

Two unforgettable moments²¹

In the Inspiration Marathon last year, Chris’ brother, Carlos, was behind me. I will never forget how all of a sudden I heard him scream, “Guru!”

At that time he stood fourth.

I will also never forget what happened four or five years ago on the course in Breezy Point. There he stood first in our four-mile race. Like a horse he was galloping! He is so short, but his stride was so long. Such a big stride! He was returning, and I had not yet gone half the way.

Invisible runners²²

At the last marathon in Puerto Rico, all those who won were shorter than the shortest and thinner than the thinnest. After the race, when I stood in front of the winners, I could not believe how thin human beings could be. They were all practically invisible!

Even Pulak makes progress²³

Everybody makes progress, even Pulak. Last week in the 6.2-mile race I was observing him. I was so proud of the way he has made such tremendous progress in his style.

Central Park experiences²⁴

During the 20-mile race in Central Park today, one old man was looking at me and telling another old man, “He is the director of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team!” Then two ladies — not disciples — started calling me, “Guru, Guru!”

The first two miles Prabhir was ahead of Sarama, although she was running and he was walking. She had her jacket around her waist. People were dying and she was carrying extra weight! Then she went ahead of Prabhir.

Imagination-power succeeds²⁵

During the five-mile race, I was running behind Durga. She saw me and went to the other side, but I was so tired that I stayed behind her. Then we came to a hill. I said, “Where is she? Where is she?”

I used to do hill work every day, and while I was running I was thinking of my hill work. I was running and she was running too, but because I was thinking of my hill work I went ahead of her. Only by thinking of it was I able to go ahead of her, or perhaps she deliberately showed me compassion.

Only one mile!²⁶

One man in the five-mile race, wearing green, was walking. He told me, “Don’t go ahead of me; stay with me!”

A black girl who was 50 metres ahead of me stopped. Her boyfriend and her brother were so sympathetic.

An old lady said, “Sri, are you not walking? Are you not walking?” She saw how tired I was — that I was dying — so she was begging me to walk. She was very kind to me.

When I start running, my mantra is, “Only one mile, only one mile!”

Mistaken identity²⁷

One man was walking, and I thought it was Prabhir. I was coming from 40 or 50 metres behind him. I said, “Prabhir, I am so proud of you,” but he did not turn around. Then, when I was only one step away, I said, “Prabhir!” Finally he turned around, and I saw that it was someone else, so I smiled at him.

Burning, burning²⁸

In this five-mile race I ran the whole distance. It was difficult. After 4 miles I was calling Databir, but he did not come. So I waited.

When he came, he took my yellow jacket. Once you start running, after 10 or 15 minutes, you want to take off everything. My upper body was burning, burning. Some people wore shorts, but I didn’t.

When Databir took my jacket, I was greatly relieved. At least 10 or 15 seconds definitely I lost, but my last mile was my best mile.

No sense of distance²⁹

Pulak has no sense of distance. When I was nearing the finish of the five-mile race, he told me, “After the bend, it is just half a mile.” After the bend, it was not even 400 metres!

The missing poodle³⁰

Whenever I run alone, people talk to me. After God knows how many months, I went out to practise. Bipin and Pulin were following me in the car. After 1300 metres, a little boy came right in front of me in an intersection and said, “Please stop, stop, stop!” So immediately I stopped. Cars were coming on this side and that side, but they had a red light, so I could stop.

He said, “Have you seen my little white poodle? Have you seen my little white poodle?” It was so pathetic.

I said, “I have not seen it.”

He said, “You have not seen it?”

Then he started looking for it again.

A perfect joke³¹

We had a marathon in Germany that was a perfect joke from the beginning to the end. It touched the height of absurdity. Our organisation reached the highest height. Fortunately, this was only a family gathering. The most important thing for the German disciples was their concert, so they paid all attention to that.

One reporter said I ran 26 miles. It was six, but he added 20 miles.

What are you doing?³²

Today at 4:30 a.m., after many, many months, I went out to walk. I was enjoying myself like anything. After one mile I came back.

At my 800-metre mark a short but very fat lady was waiting for the bus. As soon as she saw me, she said, “Mr. Chinmoy, what are you doing at this hour?” Then she said, “Have a very nice day.”

I said to her, “The same to you.” She smiled.

“What are you doing?” she was asking me. She could see that I was walking! I had never, never seen her before.

Thrilled to see me³³

Then I went down the 150th Street hill. I saw a van that said something like, “C. S. Company.” A young man with curly hair said, “Hello, Sri Chinmoy! Hello, Sri Chinmoy!”

Then I started to walk another mile. When I had walked about 1500 metres, I saw a cyclist coming. I went another 100 metres to complete my mile. Then I saw him stop. I said to myself, “Something is wrong with his bicycle.”

He started saying, “Sri, Sri, Sri Chinmoy!” He was so happy to see me.

I smiled. Then, very slowly, he rode with me to Main Street, beaming with joy. He made a right turn and I made a turn towards my mile mark.

Both these young men were so thrilled to see me.

A young admirer³⁴

As I was walking in front of my house at 1:30, a young man came out of a car and said, “Run and become, become and run.” He was not joking. He was showing tremendous admiration for me and sympathy with my pain. He was asking, “How did you get hurt?”

He said, “I tell my friends about you, and they don’t believe that you live in that house. I tell them that the picture on the Santana and John McLaughlin album was taken right in front of your house. They don’t believe me.”

Then I came back and told Databir, who was in front of my house, to go and talk to him. The young man had said that he was a pianist, so Databir told him about Haridas.

Databir also told him about the Cologne concert. Then he asked Databir, “How can a famous person like Sri Chinmoy walk all by himself in a poor community?” He lives in Manhattan. He had a good conversation with Databir. Databir came to my house to get a book for him.

All of a sudden he got a call on his beeper, so he left to call his company. He said, “Tell him I will definitely come back.”

I will be right back³⁵

At the 70-mile race, George Vallasi shook hands with me. He is so nice to us.

Then he said to me, “I will be right back,” and he started running with his friend, whom he was helping. I thought that he meant he would run 100 or 200 metres, but he went on and on.

During the race I saw Nathan. I said, “Run! Run!” He didn’t hear me. He just kept running.

A marathon wait³⁶

When I was coming back from Boston, a man on the plane said he had waited for the plane for three hours.

The stewardess said to him, “It seems you have just run a marathon.”

He said, “Yes, I did. It took me three hours to run the marathon and three hours to wait for the plane.”

Inspiration leads to manifestation³⁷

Avery informs me every day about the six-day race in England.

One runner, an Englishman, was leading right from the beginning. At one point he said, “Now I am going to speak to Sri.” Then he left the track and for five minutes he looked at my picture. He is not a disciple.

The person who is third also looks at my Transcendental Picture every time he comes near it.

One man tells Avery every day to say hello to me, and another runner was appreciating our races. Beverly Nolan and Bob Cannata were wearing our T-shirts right from the beginning.

Avery is helping all of the runners — not only Trishul. Our London disciples come every day also, to inspire the runners. If there is inspiration, there will be aspiration; and if there is aspiration, there is bound to be manifestation.

No experiences³⁸

Every day while running I see disciples, but today I did not see even one disciple. I went out at 5:15 in the morning. I didn’t see anybody and I didn’t have a single experience. Only once I saw a car, when I had completed my first mile.

Trying to catch Pramoda³⁹

In the 1200-metre walk at our World Family Day, I tried so desperately to catch Pramoda. One, two, twenty people I passed, but I couldn’t catch her.

Sitting beside the world⁴⁰

When I was watching the Olympic marathon trials on video, I was looking for Gary Fanelli, but I could not see him anywhere. They were showing only the lead runners — the first five or six. He ran 2:18 and his position was 23rd out of 160. The next time he comes to New York I will definitely honour him.

He is such a great runner! A few months ago he had an operation. He is not fully recovered. Only two months ago at our race in Connecticut he asked me to pray for him. He is very receptive; that is why my prayers work for him. He told me that he prays and meditates on my picture every day.

Once when he was sitting beside me at Madison Square Garden, he said, “Guru, to sit beside you is to sit beside the whole world.”

His brother and also a friend of theirs join our races in San Francisco.

Harassment⁴¹

This morning I went out to walk fast. First I saw Nilima, then I saw Bhikshuni and then I saw Agamani — three!

After four and a half miles, three other girls — not disciples — were a little ahead of me on the sidewalk and would not allow me to cross the street. With greatest difficulty I crossed. Then I thanked them.

They started running behind me, saying things which I couldn’t understand. For 100 or 150 metres they were harassing me. I turned around and looked at them, and then they all turned around and started running away. Then I went ahead.

In spite of seeing the boys following me in the car, they were harassing me.

Another street encounter⁴²

In the afternoon also there was a car following me. Around my 700-metre mark a middle-aged man saw me. He said, “Sir, I do not know your name, but you are a very nice person. I have seen your picture in the train.”

So I looked at him and thanked him.

Then I made a turn at 800 metres. Lucy was running by. She thought it was the same story as in the morning — that the man was harassing me — so she came quite fast to my rescue. But the man was so nice — so happy to see me in the street.

Altogether, today I walked 13 miles.

A long running career⁴³

Tomorrow is my sixth running anniversary. When I think of my marathon-life, it seems to me that I have been running for the last ten or eleven years — especially when I think of the cramps that I used to get during the marathon!

A surprise meeting⁴⁴

Today I was running all by myself. I wanted to run seven miles, so I was taking the loop near Mohan and Anjali’s house. At six miles, all of a sudden I saw Vidhu and Bipin in a car. Bipin said that they were going out to buy some juice.

A sensation!⁴⁵

While I was running today, at one point I saw Chanakhya. He was going so fast! I said, “He is an excellent runner.”

In the street if you run under a six-minute pace, it creates a sensation. But coming back, he was going so slowly!

Recognised⁴⁶

Seven or eight boys, schoolchildren, recognised me while I was running. I was making my turn off the Grand Central service road onto 188th Street when they saw me. They said, “Guru, Guru, Guru!” They were not joking with me. They were showing respect.

You are doing well!⁴⁷

While I was running the 3.1-mile race at Flushing Meadow Park this evening, one of the officials greeted me. He said, “Guru, Guru, you are doing well!” Not bad — considering I have had six months’ vacation!

Then after the race, a boy came up and talked to me. He had recognised me.

A very hard time⁴⁸

What was wrong with Anupadi? She didn’t run the two-mile race tonight at Flushing Meadow Park. I would have given her a very hard time in the race!

Then I saw her running on 150th Street. She was running by as Snigdha was coming out of her house.

Sandhani ran the race — very good!

Better late than never⁴⁹

I went to a 3.1-mile race tonight on Long Island. We were 20 minutes late, and the first-class runners were all finished. Then Trishul got a map of the course and Pahar followed it exactly — with no mistakes.

The course was excellent — 100 per cent flat. On either side of the road there were trees and so forth. It was very beautiful — a good panoramic view.

When we finished, they had already started distributing the prizes. There were about 300 people there — very good!